Hops could become vital crop

Craft beer boom is fueling interest

The hops variety trial at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research Station
in Mills River is primed for its third harvest this year. The booming craft beer
industry has the agricultural industry researching the viability of hops
production in Wetern North Carolina.

GARY GLANCY/TIMES-NEWS CORRESPONDENT

By GARY GLANCYTimes-News correspondent

Published: Sunday, July 14, 2013 at 3:28 p.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, July 14, 2013 at 3:28 p.m.

MILLS RIVER — In stark contrast to the rapid growth of the flower itself, officials at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center continue to employ a slow, methodical approach as they study the viability of hops becoming a legitimate crop in North Carolina.

One of the four main ingredients in beer, hops are a climbing plant with cone-shaped flowers whose oils contribute aroma, flavor and bitterness to a beverage that has taken the state and region by storm. In the same week that Sierra Nevada announced its massive brewing tanks have been secured in place as the country's second-largest craft brewer closes in on the start of production just up the road, the research station gave a tour of its hops variety trial Friday to dozens of commercial growers and home brewers from across the state.

“What I am so excited about is how much our hop growers are a community and they share,” said Jeanine Davis, associate professor and extension specialist in the department of horticultural science at N.C. State University who led the start of the hops project. “They just share so freely, and so everyone is benefiting.”

Learning curve for new crop

The road toward significant hops production here could be a long and challenging one, though. The plant is better suited to temperate northern climates, with North Carolina teetering on the edge of the appropriate latitude range and climate where long daylight hours, moderate temperatures and low humidity levels help the crop thrive.

In direct response to the expressed needs of hops growers in North Carolina, three years ago the research station established its hops variety trial, funded through a two-year grant Davis' team was awarded from the USDA Specialty Crops Block Grant Program. Ten varieties were planted on a 20-foot trellis, where one variety — Zeus — has soared to just below the top.

Following a banner crop the first year in 2011, the 2012 growing season saw downy mildew, spider mites and Japanese beetles take a devastating toll on numerous plants, including the total destruction of the Newport hop — a variety developed specifically by the USDA as downy mildew resistant — with high humidity levels and a possible downy mildew strain unique to the research station property the culprits.

However, this year Davis said she and her staff have taken a much more aggressive approach to controlling diseases and insects, and have added some cultural practices such as spring pruning in an effort to increase lateral formation and yields. Three new varieties replaced the Newport, and overall the results have been encouraging.

“I think the big point is that when you're trying a new crop like this, not to give up too soon,” Davis said. “The first year we did this we had the prettiest hop yard that you'd ever want to see; last year it was devastated, and there was talk of pulling every plant out of the ground and starting over. But instead, we did a lot of reading and a lot of talking to other growers and got a lot of good advice, and look at it now.”

Exploring the possiblities Brian and Lisa Jennings certainly were impressed. Home brewers for the past decade, the couple from Wake County grow three varieties of hops on a quarter-acre lot where they live.

Friday's tour in Mills River was an invaluable education as they look to expand to commercial production here in the mountains where the elevation is higher and the air cooler, drier and less stagnant than in Raleigh.

“It's been a great collaboration just to be able to see what other people are doing and kind of find out what their setups are,” Brian Jennings said. “What we've been finding out is that because hops are so new to this area, people are having to be innovative in their own way, using different strings, different structures.

“And so it's going to be interesting to see 10, 15, 20 years down the road what people are doing and how that's kind of progressed as far as what they've learned to do from others and how it's going to be different from what people are doing out West and the Northeast, just because the climate is so different.”

On Saturday, the couple planned to visit a potential property for purchase in Brevard, where they hope to relocate to gradually build into a 15-acre-plus hops farm with funding from family.

“This is the perfect area to grow hops, not just for the plants with the elevations, but also because of the beer market here,” Brian Jennings said. “The breweries are just bubbling – there's a new one that pops up every time I go online to check it out.”

Not an easy row to hoe

Still, the significant challenges will likely inhibit the region from ever becoming a major hop supplier like the Pacific Northwest, which produces the majority of American hops used by brewers.

“It'd be tough — they (hops) do require a lot of attention here in this area,” said Ben Brickhouse of Horse Shoe, a full-time firefighter with the city of Asheville and avid home brewer who grows three hop varieties in a community garden where he lives.

“I've been going to all of the meetings that Miss Davis has been having and I even considered doing something on a couple of acre-type scale, but realized the amount of labor that's involved and how susceptible they can be to certain diseases and things of that nature, I decided that the amount that I have in my backyard is all I have time for.”

Davis said the key is patience as well as ingenuity, as she encourages growers to meet the high demand today for valueadded products.

“Hop jellies, hop pillows — you know, just think outside the box a little bit,” Davis said. “Selling more direct to home brewers or making home-brew kits and playing them up as ‘fresh from the farm' … just be really creative and do that value-added until we get this to that point (of profitable yield).”

Will that day ever come?

“Gosh, that sure does remain to be seen, still,” said Kelly Gaskill, Davis' research assistant on the project.

“It's amazing how many new things we're figuring out each year, and how many people come to us with answers to all these questions we didn't even know we had.”

Added Davis, “I think you're going to see a lot of people quit and drop out, but you're also going to see the ones that are tenacious and stick with it and have that passion; we've seen that with organic agriculture. It's got to be a labor of love for a while.”

<p>MILLS RIVER — In stark contrast to the rapid growth of the flower itself, officials at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center continue to employ a slow, methodical approach as they study the viability of hops becoming a legitimate crop in North Carolina.</p><p>One of the four main ingredients in beer, hops are a climbing plant with cone-shaped flowers whose oils contribute aroma, flavor and bitterness to a beverage that has taken the state and region by storm. In the same week that Sierra Nevada announced its massive brewing tanks have been secured in place as the country's second-largest craft brewer closes in on the start of production just up the road, the research station gave a tour of its hops variety trial Friday to dozens of commercial growers and home brewers from across the state.</p><p>“What I am so excited about is how much our hop growers are a community and they share,” said Jeanine Davis, associate professor and extension specialist in the department of horticultural science at N.C. State University who led the start of the hops project. “They just share so freely, and so everyone is benefiting.” </p><p>Learning curve for new crop </p><p>The road toward significant hops production here could be a long and challenging one, though. The plant is better suited to temperate northern climates, with North Carolina teetering on the edge of the appropriate latitude range and climate where long daylight hours, moderate temperatures and low humidity levels help the crop thrive.</p><p>In direct response to the expressed needs of hops growers in North Carolina, three years ago the research station established its hops variety trial, funded through a two-year grant Davis' team was awarded from the USDA Specialty Crops Block Grant Program. Ten varieties were planted on a 20-foot trellis, where one variety — Zeus — has soared to just below the top.</p><p>Following a banner crop the first year in 2011, the 2012 growing season saw downy mildew, spider mites and Japanese beetles take a devastating toll on numerous plants, including the total destruction of the Newport hop — a variety developed specifically by the USDA as downy mildew resistant — with high humidity levels and a possible downy mildew strain unique to the research station property the culprits. </p><p>However, this year Davis said she and her staff have taken a much more aggressive approach to controlling diseases and insects, and have added some cultural practices such as spring pruning in an effort to increase lateral formation and yields. Three new varieties replaced the Newport, and overall the results have been encouraging. </p><p>“I think the big point is that when you're trying a new crop like this, not to give up too soon,” Davis said. “The first year we did this we had the prettiest hop yard that you'd ever want to see; last year it was devastated, and there was talk of pulling every plant out of the ground and starting over. But instead, we did a lot of reading and a lot of talking to other growers and got a lot of good advice, and look at it now.” </p><p>Exploring the possiblities Brian and Lisa Jennings certainly were impressed. Home brewers for the past decade, the couple from Wake County grow three varieties of hops on a quarter-acre lot where they live. </p><p>Friday's tour in Mills River was an invaluable education as they look to expand to commercial production here in the mountains where the elevation is higher and the air cooler, drier and less stagnant than in Raleigh. </p><p>“It's been a great collaboration just to be able to see what other people are doing and kind of find out what their setups are,” Brian Jennings said. “What we've been finding out is that because hops are so new to this area, people are having to be innovative in their own way, using different strings, different structures. </p><p>“And so it's going to be interesting to see 10, 15, 20 years down the road what people are doing and how that's kind of progressed as far as what they've learned to do from others and how it's going to be different from what people are doing out West and the Northeast, just because the climate is so different.” </p><p>On Saturday, the couple planned to visit a potential property for purchase in Brevard, where they hope to relocate to gradually build into a 15-acre-plus hops farm with funding from family. </p><p>“This is the perfect area to grow hops, not just for the plants with the elevations, but also because of the beer market here,” Brian Jennings said. “The breweries are just bubbling – there's a new one that pops up every time I go online to check it out.” </p><p>Not an easy row to hoe </p><p>Still, the significant challenges will likely inhibit the region from ever becoming a major hop supplier like the Pacific Northwest, which produces the majority of American hops used by brewers. </p><p>“It'd be tough — they (hops) do require a lot of attention here in this area,” said Ben Brickhouse of Horse Shoe, a full-time firefighter with the city of Asheville and avid home brewer who grows three hop varieties in a community garden where he lives. </p><p>“I've been going to all of the meetings that Miss Davis has been having and I even considered doing something on a couple of acre-type scale, but realized the amount of labor that's involved and how susceptible they can be to certain diseases and things of that nature, I decided that the amount that I have in my backyard is all I have time for.” </p><p>Davis said the key is patience as well as ingenuity, as she encourages growers to meet the high demand today for valueadded products. </p><p>“Hop jellies, hop pillows — you know, just think outside the box a little bit,” Davis said. “Selling more direct to home brewers or making home-brew kits and playing them up as 'fresh from the farm' … just be really creative and do that value-added until we get this to that point (of profitable yield).” </p><p>Will that day ever come? </p><p>“Gosh, that sure does remain to be seen, still,” said Kelly Gaskill, Davis' research assistant on the project. </p><p>“It's amazing how many new things we're figuring out each year, and how many people come to us with answers to all these questions we didn't even know we had.” </p><p>Added Davis, “I think you're going to see a lot of people quit and drop out, but you're also going to see the ones that are tenacious and stick with it and have that passion; we've seen that with organic agriculture. It's got to be a labor of love for a while.”</p>